Who is Chavez anyway?
Venezuela and it’s current President Hugo Chavez hit the international headlines last week after US Televangelist Pat Robertson claimed that the US should assinate him. While many were outraged by the comments, the US State department simply labelled them innapropriate. The US and Venezuela have had frosty relations ever since Chavez won a democratic election in 1998 and brought with him an ambitious agenda for social reform in the country. With 70 – 80% of the population in poverty, Chavez’s reforms, have been welcomed by most of the population and are popular amongst other left leaning governments in Latin America. However while Chavez’s notion of 21st century socialism currently still includes the open market, the increasing trend towards further socialism, and his outspoken opposition to US influence, has left the US in a tricky diplomatic situation, especially given that Venezuela is a major oil supplier. Rodrigo Acuna is currently finishing a thesis on the Chavez government and he recently got back from Venezuela. He spoke to Bill Birtles, beginning with some background on the charismatic leader, Hugo Chavez.